Beginning April 6, getting a new driver's license in Cape Girardeau will take just a matter of minutes instead of the usual four to six weeks.

A new system is being introduced that will produce laminated driver's licenses on the spot.

The state began switching to the Over the Counter Driver's License System last September and is scheduled to complete the process by fall. So far, about 120 of the 167 license offices in the state now offer the instant licenses.

The system was set up in the Jackson and Chaffee and Perryville license bureau offices earlier this month. A team from the Department of Revenue helped guide the transfer to the new system.

The computer, instant camera and lamination equipment is owned by a vendor, NBS of Fort Wayne, Ind., which receives a fee for each license produced.

Norma Wildman, manager of the Cape Girardeau license office, said the Chaffee, Jackson and Perryville systems were installed earlier because Cape Girardeau's bigger office requires more equipment and two computers.

She expects patrons will like the new system.

"It will take a little longer to process each license but they are going to leave with that license," Wildman said.

Besides immediacy, the system has another benefit. "This is a tamper-resistant document," says Kay Dinolfo, a spokeswoman for the Department of Revenue.

"It is very difficult to alter or tamper with."

Large branch offices were the first to get the new licensing process. Installation then progressed in a regional pattern.

Dinolfo said the smaller offices have reported no problems with the new equipment, while larger offices sometimes have experienced computer difficulties.

She said the state will neither save nor lose money on the new system.